What is a Swedish Massage?

People are often stumped when asked if they know what a Swedish massage is?
Typically this extremely relaxing, therapeutic massage is known by this name in most English speaking countries. The rest of the world, including Sweden of course, knows it by the name ‘Classic Massage’. It was developed by the Swedish physical therapist Pehr Henrik Ling sometime in the nineteenth century.

Pehr Henrik Ling was a renowned developer and teacher of medical-gymnastics. He designed this therapy by combining a series of calisthenics-like exercises which focused on the connection between the mind and the body. Have we answered the question? No, not even close. So, what is a Swedish massage?

The massage is a combination of five unique motions which are meant to manipulate your muscles and help in relaxing your mind to relieve tension. These motions are meant to stimulate your muscles which lie dormant in our daily lives due to lack of physical exercise. The fact is that in the hectic lives which we lead these days, our mind gets a little too much activity, while out bodies get too little.

Let’s discuss the traditional muscle movements a little more closely and try to understand the basics.

1. Effleurage- Effleurage is the use of fan style and circle style stroking of your body tostimulate sliding as well as gliding movements.
2. Petrissage- This technique uses the classic kneading of soft tissues to compress them together. The purpose of this movement is to release knots and dissipate toxic substances accumulated in body cavities.
3. Tapotement- Tapotement is a rhythmic tapping of your body parts using the edge of the masseur’s hand to release tension and heighten blood circulation.
4. Friction- This is simply rubbing of the body parts to create heat, which is applied to relax the nerve endings and soothe sore muscles.
5. Vibration- This helps in relieving pain by enhancing blood flow.

These techniques are used with varied degrees of intensity and frequency to stimulate muscles in the body, open blocked blood capillaries, detoxify sore parts and enhance oxygen supply by increasing blood flow.

Swedish massage is highly popular and is prescribed all over the world by professional therapists. Although it is used mostly as a full body massage, it can even be applied for specific body aches, injuries and stress. As far as massage therapies are concerned, the Swedish massage therapy works wonders to rejuvenate your body and mind. An experienced masseur knows how to identify the vital points of your body and treat them in the perfect way to relieve pain and release stress.

Now that you know what is a Swedish massage it would be prudent to first consult a practicing therapist before opting for it to make sure that it is the best option for your particular requirements. If you wish to learn Swedish massage techniques, some fitness training academies in India also offer such massage therapy courses.

What is a Swedish massage?

People always enquire about the technicalities of a Swedish massage, or ask the question what is a Swedish massage? The Swedish massage is one of the most popular forms of massages in the world. If you have never been to a spa before, and have absolutely no clue what treatment to get, opt for a Swedish massage; it is the perfect way to start your journey into the magical world of massages.

Many people want to know the reason as to why is it called a Swedish massage. The Swedish massage and physical therapy were both established by a Swedish physiologist named Per Henrik Ling at the University of Stockholm. He expanded on the Western concepts of anatomy instead of focusing on the massage styles in Asia. During the 19th century he invented “Medical Gymnastics”, which included many movements that were originally performed by therapists. This popularly became known as the “Swedish Movements” all over Europe and “ Swedish Movement Cure” in the United States. Today it is simply known by the name “Swedish Massage”. This massage is the building block of all types of massages in Western countries, such as the sport massage, deep tissue massage and the immensely popular aromatherapy massage.

What exactly happens when you opt for a Swedish massage? The first thing that any masseuse will do is lubricate the body with oil, then using her expertise, she would stroke the body to warm up the muscles. This process helps to release tension and eliminate any knots that have formed in your body due to walking, stress or even just sitting in one place for hours. This massage helps you to relax, ease any kind of muscle tension and is known to have a lot of health benefits like promoting circulation in the body and relaxing the nerves.

As a masseuse you should enquire about any injuries or health ailments and give the massage according to the client’s body type. You should also ask the client beforehand about the kind of pressure he or she likes. Do they prefer a light hand or firm hand? Also, some clients may want to concentrate the massage on a particular area (e.g. back, neck). With practice, you will develop your own unique technique; remember no two massages will ever be the same as all masseurs have their style.

If you want to learn how to massage or enquire about different massage training courses, find a Fitness Academy that teaches you all the basic forms of massage like Aromatherapy Massage, Swedish Sports Massage and Ayurveda massage. A reputed and good school will also teach you Alternative Medicine & the medical benefits of Massage, Client Medical Recall, Personal Etiquette, Muscular Anatomy, Importance of Breathing & Stretching, Types of Massages, Swedish Massage Techniques, Basic Introduction to Oils and Full Body Sequence & Strokes. These are just a few important details all massage therapists must know before they begin their long and fulfilling career as a massage therapist.